Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Edge, Kairi Sane and More

Credit: WWE.com

Could Edge actually finish his wrestling career with a company other than WWE?

It was the question on many fans' minds following his victory over Sheamus on the August 18 episode of SmackDown and only got more prevalent following the latest report that headlines this week's collection of rumors.

Joining that update is the latest on Kairi Sane's reported return to WWE and clarification on a rumor regarding Keith Lee and All Elite Wrestling.

Edge may well have wrestled his last match for WWE on last week's SmackDown.

That does not mean he is done wrestling, though, as Wade Keller of PWTorch reported that he presented company officials with what it would take to retain his services but the company declined.

And as a result, it's believed that The Rated-R Superstar will make his way to AEW upon the completion of his contract at the end of September.

The report stated that Edge "knew at that time what AEW could offer him (based, perhaps, on conversations with other wrestlers of his star power about AEW pay)."

The 2012 Hall of Fame inductee has been part of WWE his entire career. While the switch would give him a new lease of in-ring life and allow him to wrap up his career alongside his best friend, Christian Cage, one does have to wonder what it would mean to his legacy to remain a WWE lifer.

Perhaps it would have meant more before there was a true alternative for him to continue his career with, and we know how much finishing on his terms means to him after injury forced him out of wrestling for nine years.

There are a bevy of dream matches awaiting the 49-year-old in AEW, but how much more time he has on his dance card and whether his body can withstand the toll the style that the company employs would be a different question.

Kairi Sane is on her way back to WWE, and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported there are two reasons why she chose to return: The recent success of Iyo Sky plus Triple H overseeing the company's creative.

She remains close to Stardom founder Rossy Ogawa, but the promotion wanted exclusivity while she wished to work more dates, the report stated. That, coupled with the above, led her to rejoin the company she left three years ago.

Sane is one of the best wrestlers on the planet, and she was one of the most decorated during her time with NXT. She helped carry the women's division there via her matches with Shayna Baszler, before joining the main roster where she and Asuka dominated tag team action as The Kabuki Warriors.

Now a bigger star thanks to her work in Japan, the 34-year-old returns to WWE with an opportunity to improve upon her first run and find success as a singles competitor.

Considering the need for fresh matchups across both Raw and SmackDown, Sane's return will be greeted with enthusiasm by fans.

Much has been made of a rumored walk-out by former AEW world tag team champion Keith Lee but as Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported, that is not the case.

"There was a story making the rounds that Fightful was contacted about numerous times in the last few days regarding Keith Lee supposedly walking out of AEW last week," Sapp wrote (h/t Jeffrey Harris of 411Mania). "We've been told that story is untrue, and instead was a miscommunication between the two sides."

He added: "At some point, Lee was told he wasn't being used for Dynamite, and left the building, as often happens when people are told they aren't needed for a show. He was, however, booked for Rampage at some point, but it wasn't relayed to him before he'd left. The card was then adjusted."

There is no heat between the company and the competitor.

At a time when AEW is preparing for its biggest-ever show at Wembley Stadium in London in front of a potential record crowd, it continues to find itself bombarded by backstage drama that could have been prevented with a bit of communication from management.

All too often, it seems there is petty backstage nonsense about so-and-so doing this or that, all of which could have been avoided with a little tightening up of things.

Who knows how happy Lee is with his current status in AEW, but leaving the arena after being told he would not be a part of the show hardly feels like a big deal. That is until someone lets out that he "walked out" on a TV taping.

Shore things up, don't even give the talent or backstage staff anything to buzz about to anyone else, and reports like this won't happen in the first place.